Jun 13, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Reggie Miller attends game four of the 2025 NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

NBA 2K Gets An Assist From Reggie Miller's Biggest Antagonist

Originally posted on Back in the Day NBA on SI
By Shandel Richardson | Last updated Jul 9, 2025 5:32 PM ET

Spike Lee and Reggie Miller were among the biggest rivals during the 1990s. Lee, filmmaker, somehow made his way into the NBA real by doing commercials with Michael Jordan and battling Miller from his courtside seat at Madison Square Garden.

Lee is much a part of basketball culture as he is for making movies, so it's fitting he was included in the promotional trailer for the NBA 2K video game. The commercial was released Wednesday.

"The moments that last forever go beyond what we see on the court," Lee said in the trailer. "These moments start with a ball, a dream and a relentless will to win. They're a culmination of every effort put into the game since they first stepped on the court. All of those moments have led to this one."

The moment is now

️ Voiced by the iconic Spike Lee pic.twitter.com/qeQVvvY00o
— NBA 2K (@NBA2K) July 9, 2025

Lee was first associated with the NBA when he appeared alongside Jordan in Nike commercials in the 1980s. He went by the name Mars Blackmon, a fan who was fascinated by the Air Jordan shoe. He later resurfaced during the New York Knicks-Indiana Pacers rivalry in the early 1990s. The teams met six times from 1993-2000, grabbing major headlines.

No moment was more memorable than when Lee was jawing with Miller from his seat at the famed Garden. It reached a boil when Miller scored eight points in nine seconds in Game 1 of the 1995 Eastern Conference semifinals.

MORE BACK IN THE DAY HOOPS COVERAGE

Michael Jordan made a bold proclamation in 1996

Allen Iverson helps MLB player go viral

NBA great coping well after health scare

This article first appeared on Back in the Day NBA on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: